1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a disc recording/reproducing apparatus having the function of a disc exchanging function. More particularly, it relates to a disc recording/reproducing apparatus in which one of plural trays in a container, holding a disc, is pulled out and held even after movement to a recording/reproducing unit, with the holding of the disc being released after the tray is restored from the recording/reproducing unit.
2. Description of the Related Art
There has hitherto been used a disc recording/reproducing apparatus having the disc exchanging function of selectively pulling out plural disc trays housed in a housing section and loading a disc set on a disc tray on a recording/reproducing unit for recording and/or reproducing information signals.
The disc recording/reproducing apparatus, having the disc exchanging function, has a disc housing section in which are stacked plural disc trays each having an optical disc as recording medium set thereon, a recording and/or reproducing unit for recording and/or reproducing information signals on or from an optical disc as a recording medium set on the disc tray, a pull-out mechanism for pulling out one of the disc trays housed in the disc housing section and a lift mechanism for lifting and lowering the recording and/or reproducing unit to a position in register with the position housing the disc tray.
For recording and/or reproducing information signals on or from an optical disc housed in the housing section by the present disc recording and/or reproducing apparatus, one of the disc trays housed in the tray housing unit is selected. After disc tray selection, the recording and/or reproducing unit is uplifted or lowered to a position in register with the position of housing the disc tray. The pull-out mechanism then staffs its operation to pull out the selected disc from the housing section to move it towards the recording and/or reproducing unit. The operation of loading the optical disc as set on the disc tray to a rotating/driving section of the recording and/or reproducing unit is then carried out, at the same time as the disc tray is moved towards the recording and/or reproducing unit. The optical disc is clamped on the disc table constituting a disc rotating operating mechanism to enable the optical disc to be rotated in unison with the disc table. The information signals are recorded and/or reproduced on or from the optical disc by driving the recording and/or reproducing means, such as optical pickup device.
After completion of the recording and/or reproduction of the information signals on or from the selected optical disc, the pull-out mechanism is actuated for setting the optical disc loaded on the recording and/or reproducing unit on the disc tray to restore the disc tray and the optical disc set thereon into the original housing position in the housing section.
The disc recording and/or reproducing apparatus having the disc exchange function is configured so that, by relative movement between the housing unit housing, the disc tray and/or the recording and/or reproducing unit, the selected one of disc trays housed in the housing section is brought into registration with the recording and/or reproducing unit to pull out the selected disc tray towards the recording and/or reproducing unit to load the disc set on the disc tray on the recording and/or reproducing unit to effect recording and/or reproduction of information signals.
For reliably loading the disc set on the selected disc tray, the relative position between the selected disc tray and the recording and/or reproducing unit needs to be set correctly.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a novel disc recording and/or reproducing apparatus capable of solving the problems of the conventional disc recording and/or reproducing apparatus having the disc exchanging function.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a disc recording and/or reproducing apparatus whereby a desired one of plural disc trays housed in a disc housing section may be correctly selected for loading the disc set on this disc tray correctly on the recording and/or reproducing unit and whereby the disc loaded on the disc recording and/or reproducing can be correctly housed in the original housing position.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a disc recording and/or reproducing apparatus whereby a selected one of plural disc trays housed in a disc housing section may be correctly pulled out towards the recording and/or reproducing unit and the disc set on the selected disc tray can be reliably loaded on the recording and/or reproducing unit.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a disc recording and/or reproducing apparatus whereby a disc tray on which to set the disc, a pull-out mechanism for pulling out the disc tray and the recording and/or reproducing unit for recording and/or reproducing the disc can be protected reliably.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a disc recording and/or reproducing apparatus whereby the disc can be recorded and/or reproduced in stability by positioning the recording and/or reproducing unit moved relative to the housing section.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a disc recording and/or reproducing apparatus whereby the disc an be exchanged promptly.
It is yet another object of the present invention to provide a disc recording and/or reproducing apparatus whereby the apparatus can be reduced in size.
In one aspect, the present invention provides a disc recording and/or reproducing apparatus including a housing section for housing a plurality of discs, the housing section having a plurality of trays each for setting a disc thereon, the tray being movable between a pull-out position outside of the housing section and a housed position within the housing section. The apparatus also includes a recording and/or reproducing unit for recording and/or reproducing the disc, a movement unit for moving one of the housing section and the recording and/or reproducing unit relative to the other, the movement unit causing relative movement between the housing section and the recording and/or reproducing unit in an arraying direction of the plural trays housed in the housing section. The movement unit has a positioning mechanism for positioning the recording and/or reproducing unit relative to the tray housed in the housing unit and a pull-out unit for pulling out from the housing section one of the plural trays housed within the housing section towards the recording and/or reproducing unit.
The disc recording and/or reproducing apparatus further includes an uplifting/lowering mechanism for moving the tray between the lowered position in which the unit is disposed between the tray movement time by the pull-out unit and an uplifted position for recording/reproducing the disc on the tray.
The positioning mechanism includes a plurality of engagement bosses provided so as to be substantially flush with one another on the recording and/or reproducing unit and a plurality of engagement recesses provided in register with the trays housed in the housing section. The engagement bosses engage with any one of the engagement recesses for positioning the recording and/or reproducing unit.
The engagement bosses are moved between the position engaging with the engagement recess and a position spaced apart from the engagement recess.
The disc recording and/or reproducing apparatus further includes a prohibiting mechanism for engaging with the tray pulled out by the pull-out unit for prohibiting the descent of the disc from the tray.
The movement mechanism includes a position detection unit and the movement mechanism moves the recording and/or reproducing unit relative to the housing section based on the result of detection from the position detection unit.
The movement mechanism also includes a pair of movement members on one of which the plural engagement recesses are formed and which are moved in a facing relation to each other, and a driving mechanism for driving the movement members. The position detection unit detects the amount of movement of one of the movement members.
There are provided further plural engagement bosses on another lateral side of the recording and/or reproducing unit. The movement unit has plural linear grooves formed in one of the other movement member and the main body portion of the apparatus and plural inclined grooves formed in the other of the other movement member and the main body portion of the apparatus. These further plural engagement bosses engage with the linear grooves and the inclined grooves. Each of the movement members is moved by the driving mechanism for moving the recording and/or reproducing unit.
The disc recording and/or reproducing apparatus further includes a position regulating mechanism for positioning the tray pulled out of the housing section relative to the recording and/or reproducing unit.
The position regulating mechanism regulates the movement of the tray pulled out from the housing section when the opening of the tray pulled out from the housing section by the pullout mechanism reaches the recording and/or reproducing unit. The pullout unit continues the tray pull-out operation until the time of position regulation by the position regulating mechanism.
The position regulating mechanism holds the tray even after pulling out the tray from the housing section and after movement thereof to the recording and/or reproducing unit, with the tray holding state being released after the tray has been housed in the housing section from the recording and/or reproducing unit.
The housing section is detachably mounted on the main body portion of the apparatus.
The disc recording and/or reproducing apparatus further includes a holding mechanism for holding the housing section in the housed position within the main body portion of the apparatus and an ejection mechanism for releasing the holding by the holding mechanism for ejecting the housing section from the main body portion.
In another aspect, the present invention provides a disc recording and/or reproducing apparatus includes a housing section for housing a plurality of discs, the housing section having a plurality of trays each for setting a disc thereon, the tray being movable between a pull-out position outside of the housing section and a housed position within the housing section. The apparatus also includes a recording and/or reproducing unit for recording and/or reproducing the disc. The recording and/or reproducing unit has plural engagement bosses on at least two lateral sides thereof, these engagement bosses being substantially flush with one another. The apparatus also includes a movement mechanism for moving the housing section and the recording and/or reproducing unit relative to the housing section. The movement mechanism has at least two movement members, one of which has a plural engagement recesses in association with the plural trays housed in the housing section. These engagement recesses are selectively engaged with the engagement bosses for positioning the recording and/or reproducing unit relative to a sole tray housed in the housing section. The apparatus further includes a pull-out unit for pulling out one of the trays housed in said housing section from the housing section towards the recording and/or reproducing unit.
The disc recording and/or reproducing apparatus also includes a lift mechanism for moving the recording and/or reproducing unit between a lowered position in which the unit is disposed during tray movement time by the pull-out unit and an uplifted position for recording and/or reproducing the disc on the tray.